Our Pride chapter 6
#13 of My pack
Chapter six is here, so everyone will finally know what happened. No spoilers, so read on, and hope you enjoy. Eric's perspective by the way
The sound of sirens got my attention. We didn't live in a very busy neighborhood. It was quiet and relaxed. Sirens were something you heard closer to the University or in other areas of Spokane. So naturally I was curious to see what was going on. Not realizing all I had to do was look out the window and spot it. There it was though, parked a few houses down. Paramedics were busy lifting someone onto the gurney.
From the house I couldn't make out every detail. But I knew, from the color of his fur and the clothes he was wearing. I had been in the process of getting dressed when all the activity started. But I didn't bother looking for a shirt or putting on shoes. I ran down the stairs and out the door. By the time I got to the scene they were loading him into the Ambulance. There was a Police Officer on the scene taking notes but I walked right by him.
"What happened?" I asked the rabbit who was about to close up the back. "Look kid, we have to go now. Get out of the way." The Officer walked over, "Sir you need to step back. He is in pretty rough shape. Did you see anything?" I looked into the eyes of the white tiger, tears running down my face. "He's my boyfriend, please." He sighed and motioned at the Paramedic. "Take him too, we can question him later."
"Thank you so much," I jumped into the back sitting along the bench seat next to my mate. The other paramedics, a lizard of some kind sat across from me while the bunny closed the back doors. I took my mate's hand and held it. "What happened?" I asked not looking up from the battered canine laying unconscious in front of me. "Hit and run, the guy was obviously speeding. Not by too much though as far as we can tell."
My cheek fur was drenched and I couldn't stop crying. "Internal bleeding?" I asked. I saw him look up from his clipboard to look at me. "Possibly, nothing we can do about that right now." I took a deep breath, "Hand me antiseptic. I may not be able to do much but I can at least clean the superficial wounds."
"Look kid, I appreciate the enthusiasm to help out but you cant do that." I looked up at the reptile. "My mate was hit by a car and left for fucking dead. I think your right to tell me what I can and cant do, no longer applies. I'm not asking to cut him open and perform surgery. I'm asking for some swabs and gauze."
"I have to make a note of injuries sustained and who treated them." I looked back at Kimber, his skull was bleeding pretty badly through the bandages. "We have to stop that." The paramedic looked, "Fuck. He's a mess, Stan code three now!" The rabbit radioed in that he was going code three before hitting the sirens, not coming to a complete stop until we reached the hospital. I applied pressure to the wound to help slow the bleeding.
"Watch for damage to his skull," the lizard told me. "You can do more harm than good." I held his wound gently, my hand coated in his blood. The back doors were quickly swung open and they pulled the gurney out and wheeled him into the hospital. I hurried along behind them and watched as they rolled him into the Emergency Room. "You have to wait here," the lizard told me. He had to stop, letting the other paramedic and some nurses take him further just to stop me from crossing back to where the O.Rs were.
"You have to wait here, not even family can go back. The doctors need their space, sorry to have to say this, but you have to wait in the waiting room." He led me back to the waiting area and motioned at the wide selection of empty seats. "Do you have a phone?" I pulled my cell from my pocket, the only thing I managed to grab aside from pants. "Good, you should get yourself some clothes and there are forms to fill out."
A nurse walked over and I took the clipboard from the mouse. "Can you fill it out completely?" I nodded my head, Kimber didn't have any allergies or anything. The rest was standard junk about medical history and insurance. The fur on my right hand was matted down with drying blood. His blood, I started to feel sick and shot out of the seat and into the nearby bathroom.
Stomach tensing before I threw up into the sink. I ran the water before throwing up again. Slamming my fist down onto the counter top and crying to myself. "He better not die, Gods keep him safe because we need him." I ran my hand under the warm water. Letting it wash away his blood. The worst part was I was the only one who knew. I had to tell everyone what happened.
I looked at the mirror, I was angry. I wanted to lash out, yell, break something. So I took a long deep breath and pushed that feeling to the side. Turning off the water before drying my hand in a hand dryer. The forms were laying on the floor, not far away from my cellphone. I saw the nurse, sitting at her desk keeping an eye on me.
I picked everything up and looked through my contacts. Hitting the call button while trying to be strong. "Hi Jeff, it's...Kimber is...just come I cant do this alone." There was a moment of silence while I choked back the tears. "We're on the way buddy, just hang in there." The call ended before I could hit the button. One call down and I felt horrible, I took a breath to try and slow my breathing.
Moving on to the next number, the phone rang only once before being answered. "What's up kitty?" I took another breath, it didn't help. "Our...Kimber is in the hospital, just get here I need you." I broke down completely, sobbing uncontrollably. "We're on the way," Torban said quickly. I ended the call and balled my hand into a fist. "FUCK!" I yelled pulling my knees to my chest , wrapping my arms around my head to shut out the world.
I felt a hand on my shoulder a short while later. Slowly I looked up to see the nurse, she was obviously concerned. "Did you tell his parents?" I nodded my head slowly, tears still running down my cheeks. "Then stop calling people, you're his boyfriend and they're his parents. He has everyone he needs coming here for him. Any allergies? They have to know that. The rest can wait." I shook my head, "He has none. Kimber is strong, stronger than we give him credit for. He will fight this."
She nodded her head, "He will need to fight. Now just focus on being here for him. No need to tell the world he is here. Can I get you anything?" I shook my head, "No. Just, if anything changes and you hear about it. Please tell me, I know you don't know right now, but if you do." She smiled at me weakly, "I will."
A few minutes later Iain ran around the corner and wrapped his arms around me. I hadn't even noticed he had moved up to me. I just held the husky tightly and cried into his neck fur. His own tears falling onto my shoulder. Torban got down on his knees next to me and pulled us both into a tight hug. "It's going to be alright," he told us. His voice wasn't forced between sobs. He was strong, like always.
He held us like that, I imagined how uncomfortable it had to have been for him. But at the time I was happy to just have them both there with me. Kimber's parents showed up and his dad filled out the rest of the forms. Iain slipped from us to go comfort his mom. I slid back into my chair and Torban took a seat next to me.
We waited in silence for almost ten hours before someone finally walked out from behind the doors keeping us from him. "I'm Doctor Fields, you all must be waiting on the Shepard boy" the jackal said to us. "He is stable, so no worries there. He did lose a lot of blood from his fractured skull and some internal bleeding. There are a few bruised ribs and his right leg was broken just below his hip. Where the car collided with him. The rest of his injuries are superficial."
I sighed and nodded, it was good. He was going to pull through this. "We cant be certain what damage was done to his brain. He lucked out on the fracture, different angle or harder and he would have died. The next few days are critical, since they will show any lasting effects he will take away from this. You should all go get some rest. He has had a long day."
"Can we see him?" I asked looking at the doctor. "Family only, and he isn't conscious." Torban growled softly and got to his feet. "We're his family and we don't care if he is conscious or not. We are going to see him." I put a hand on Torban's shoulder to calm him down. "They are as much family as we are," Jeff said to him. The doctor's ears twitched, "Alright. He is in rough shape, and you cant stay long. Visiting hours are almost over."
He pushed open the door that separated the waiting area from the Operating rooms. He led us to an observation room just on the other side of the doors. His breathing was steady, would have looked peaceful if not for all the bandages, tubes and wires stuck all over him. The doctor closed the door and left us alone with the injured dog we all cared about so much.
His mom took his hand in her's and just held it. I just stood there, looking at him. With everything he has been through this just didn't seem fair. He should be happy right now, smiling and making dumb comments. Yet here he was, clinging to life with everything he had. Iain whimpered softly and Kimber's dad looked at him. "He will be fine, his mates aren't worried. Are you guys?" I saw Iain's ears drop and he held Torban tightly. The words had stung him, unintentionally, but the hurt was there.
"He is one of Kimber's mates," I told him. He looked at me confused, "You guys go around taking guys at will?" I shook my head, "No sir. Iain just sort of happened, and we are happy to have him. All of us, your son included. He is our pack mate, and as such just as much a part of this family as anyone." The older canine's ears flicked, "Just hard to figure you guys out at times is all."
"Sorry Iain, you have been friends with him since he was a pup. I didn't mean to hurt you, and I know we're all worried about him." I smiled weakly at the collie. I felt so helpless, we all did. Kimber was just laying there and we couldn't do anything to make him better. The door slid open, "Visiting hours are over. We will keep in touch should any changes arise." The jackal from before told us.
We filed out of the room and walked back down the hall towards the front door. Torban picked me up. "Cant have you stepping on something." I looked at my bare feet, I hadn't thought about that since all this started. Kimber was my only concern through this whole ordeal. Not shoes, just my mate. "You're welcome to stay with us," I told his parents.
"Thanks, would make it easier since we don't know how long we will be here. We will head home to pack a few things and be back right after." Jeff said. Kimber's mom looked back at the hospital, not saying a word as they went to their car. Torban gently placed me in the front seat after Iain pulled it open for him.
We would need each other to get through this. Our pack was all we had, and was all we needed. The short drive home was done in silence. None of us really knowing what to say. When we got home I shut myself in our bedroom. Iain offered to sit with me, but I just wanted to be alone right now. I stared up at the ceiling, some heartless bitch ran my mate down and left him for dead.
I rolled onto my side, wrapping my tail around myself. I pulled my phone from my pocket, "He wrote something last night." Switching on the screen I opened up Firefox and went to Iain's private page. There were more stories uploaded. I clicked on Victor's, deciding it best to take my mind off of Kimber.
I remember how different things used to be. Coming home from school, to my mom and older brother. Dad was different then too. Our mom died when she got meningitis while we were still pretty young. Leaving my dad to care for us lot. He got a job with a banking firm, working hard to make ends meet. Things changed when my brother died, got drunk and drove off the road.
Dad became angry after that, and when he found my porn stash I became the target of his anger. This story is when we moved to Spokane and the abuse started. I was registered for my first year at the local college. Excited to meet new mates and maybe get away from my dad. He had grown distant, and cold. Turning to the piss to cope with the loss of his favorite son.
It was pathetic and I hated it. I was in the sitting room when he came home, from the bar, very much loaded up on drink. I just rolled my eyes and kept watching the news. Jumping slightly when he slammed the door closed. I could tell he was angry, glaring at me as he stalked closer. He grabbed me by the neck and threw me from the sofa.
I yelped in pain when I hit the coffee table back first. "Always mucking things up, cant just be normal like yer brother was. No, yeh got to be a fairy. Prancing about sucking cock. Yer not worth the load that made yer sorry ass." I laid my ears back, the whole thing came from nowhere. He smacked me across the face with the back of his hand.
"Can it be beaten out? Can it fairy? What does it take to make a man outta yeh?" I held my cheek and tried to get away from him. He kicked me in the side hard, knocking me off the coffee table. I yelped in pain and he growled. "Yer what took her from me. God punishing yer sinning. Repent whore, beg fer fergiveness. Get me her back."
I rubbed my side and stood up slowly. "I cant bring her back, yeh old fool. She got sick, nothing to do with me." He grabbed me back the nape of my neck and slammed me into the wall. "Don't yeh dare back talk me. Yer nowhere near man enough. Get the fuck out of my sight, and yeh best stay that way."
He let me go and walked out of the room. I stood straight up and watched the older doberman leave. Waiting for him to close his door before I went to lock myself in my room. It hurt to walk but I fought the pain until I was safely locked away. I laid on my bed, not sure what to do. The attacks became more frequent. My bedroom door laying in splinters, leaving me with no safe haven around him.
The only thing that made me feel better about my life were my mates. They were good blokes who moved here to attend the University. They were together, so I had something in common with them. We were gay, and in that I felt a sense of normalcy. Like good friends, they took me in when I needed help the most.
My dad beat me beyond unconscious and left me in the corner, broken and battered. They helped me out, giving me a place to live away from him. Through them I found Aiden, the subby doggy who shares my bed every night. As well as the very sexy husky Lyon. He puts me in my place, and that can be as fun as using Aiden's tight ass.
Short story, but it's to the point. Not really good at this sort of thing, more Kimber's deal than mine. One of the other two can do the next one, I'm rambling now sort of. Well a horny dog is waiting for me, later all.
I edited his text to make it readable, signing that I did so at the bottom before saving it again. "Seemed like a good idea, didn't make me feel any better." I said to myself. I turned off the screen and set my phone to the side. Noticing Kimber's phone on the nightstand. He normally took it with him everywhere. But here it was, left at home. I picked it up and turned on the screen.
Selecting the gallery to look at his photos. He only had a few, a picture of each of his mates and a group picture of us all together on the couch. I smiled weakly, ears perking at a knock on the door. "Eric?" I sat up, my mom was here. "Mom?" I asked walking to the door before pulling it open. As soon as I saw her I hugged her. "It's okay kitten, we will make sure he gets through this."
I started crying again, I couldn't help it. Everything just kept making it more real. "How could they just leave him?" She rubbed my back gently, "People don't always do the right thing. We talked to the Police. A witness says they saw a green station wagon speeding down the road. It may just be the vehicle that hit him." I looked into her eyes, wiping the tears from my face. "Make them pay," I told her.
She pulled me into another hug. "I'll pull some strings and wrestle the case my way once they find the person who did it." I hugged her tightly, "Thank you." She kissed my cheek, "There's food downstairs. You should eat something. Iain refuses to do anything, he needs more than Torban right now." I took a long breath and stepped out of the room. I could do this, Kimber was going to be fine and the Police were already looking for a suspect.
My dad was sitting at the kitchen table along with Kimber's parents, Torban and Iain. I placed a hand on Iain's shoulder, giving it a firm squeeze. The husky was crying and it took everything I had not to break down. "We'll get the bastard," my dad said confidently. I sighed and took a seat at the table. There were pizza boxes sitting on the counter, but I wasn't hungry. Not even close, I just wanted Kimber to walk in the door.
But I knew he wouldn't be walking anywhere any time soon. His leg was broken, and who knew if he would ever wake up. Torban placed his hand on mine. "Everything is going to be fine," he said. Kimber's mom was just as upset as I was. My ear perked when I heard the door open. I turned to see who was there. Aiden walked into the room, followed by Victor and Lyon.
Aiden hugged his mom, while the other two hugged Torban, Iain and me. "Hope he gets better mates," Victor said to us. Lyon seemed torn between sorrow and agitation. Kimber's dad reached under the table and pulled a bottle of beer from a box, from a box no doubt at his feet, twisting the cap off before chugging it.
"We are going to call it a night," my mom said from where she stood behind me. "We will be in town for a while. Going to talk to the local prosecutor's office tomorrow and get on the case." My dad stood up, shaking hands with Kimber's dad. Slowly giving hugs to us before leading the way out of the room. With my mom hugging Kimber's mom and each of us. "Bye sweetie," my mom said. I waved goodbye to her.
"Iain, make sure to eat something. I'm going back upstairs." I said turning to leave. Someone grabbed my arm and I expected it to be Torban. Lyon caught me though, "Stay and eat. He wouldn't want you going hungry. If he survived the hit, then he will survive this. His spirit is too strong to be held back." I looked into the husky's miss matched eyes. "I appreciate that, but until I hear his voice and know he is alright, I just cant deal with things."
Lyon let go of me and I started out of the room again. "I want that driver found," I said before leaving the room. I was taking this personally, a member of my pride was almost killed. That made it very personal to me. Torban and Iain came up a few hours later. Both fighting to sleep and getting there. While I just laid there, feeling like a piece of our soul was wrenched from us.
When I walked downstairs the next morning Kimber's mom was busy making breakfast. She looked like she hadn't slept either. "I remember when he was born. Two weeks early, and just the quietest little pup. Happy, and calm. He is still my little puppy. All I can do is pray for him. It hurts, my son was almost taken from me."
She broke down and I moved to hug her. "It's alright, he is a fighter. We both know if he wants something, his stubborn ass will make sure he gets it." She smiled weakly, "That's him alright." I helped her make breakfast for everyone, making sure that we would have enough food prepared. I was starting to feel hungry so I got myself a plate.
Kimber's dad walked into the room while we were eating. "Hospital called, he woke up about an hour ago. They had to sedate him to keep him from getting out of the bed. He was having a panic attack or something. He should be out for a few hours." I smiled at the news, our mate was just as feisty as ever. I finished my breakfast and ran passed Jeff to put on my shoes.
"Whoa! Where are you going?" he asked. I quickly tied my tennis shoes. "To see my brave little warrior." I said running out the door. The run to the hospital was nothing to me, my muscles were strong and easily carried me the three miles to my destination. I sprinted inside and up to the front desk. "Kimber Keller, is he still in observation?" I asked the dragon sorting files.
"You're not family, and he is sedated." he told me not looking up. I grabbed the phone from behind the divider and held it out to him. Growling angrily, "You call his parents and tell them that. You have no right to say my mate isn't part of my family!" He stood up and looked me in the eye. "You need to chill, you don't have any rights to go about snarling at people and making demands. Sit your tail down, keep quiet, and should his parents show up you can take this up with them."
I slid the base over and dialed, putting it on speaker. "Listen, and then you do as he says." After a few rings I heard the phone connect. "Hello, Jeff Keller." I glared at the dragon, "Tell him." He sighed and picked up the handset. "There is a tiger here trying to get into your son's room. If you're indeed his father. What proof do you have?"
The dragon pulled out a file and looked it over. "Alright Mister Keller, I will let him in. But they will need legal documentation to avoid this in the future." He hung up the phone and sighed. "You win, he is down in twenty eight fourteen. Moved him from observation this morning when he had his little episode. Elevator up, take a right and you will find it."
"Thank you, for all of your assistance." I told him sarcastically before walking to the elevators. I didn't have a problem finding his room. The bed next to his was empty. He was still out so I slid a chair up to him and took his hand in mine. "You're amazing you know that?" he didn't respond and I knew he wouldn't. He would be lucky to wake up before this evening. I felt his hand tighten around mine.
"Fu..ck." he muttered and I looked at him. "Easy puppy, cant fight drugs." His body tensed, and I watched him slowly force one of his eyes open. "Sa..line." I smiled at him and nodded. Saline would indeed help flush whatever he was on out of his system. I hit the button to call for a nurse. "Hang in there puppy, we will get you fixed." He groaned and then slipped back under.
A pigeon walked into the room. "Something wrong?" she asked sounding annoyed. "He needs more saline. The sedatives will be flushed from his body." She went from annoyed to agitated. "Look, just because the family allows your ass to be here doesn't give you any say about what to do with him. He needs his rest."
"He asked for it and as his mate it is my responsibility to see that he gets it. If you wont then I will attach the bag myself." She was about to comment when Jeff stepped into the room followed by everyone else. "What's the problem?" he asked looking at me. "Kimber, he asked for saline and she wont give it to him." I heard him groan again, "Sal..line." I motioned back at him.
"Get it, now." I told her getting angry. She rolled her eyes and walked out of the room. I turned back to the shepard. "It's going to be alright babe, don't fight it right now. We will get it flushed soon." I was about to go track her down when the pigeon returned and hooked two more bags of saline to his drip line. "There, happy?" she asked angrily.
"Yes, very much so. Thank you nurse." I watched her leave, everyone else just looked at me. "What was that about?" Jeff asked me. I sat back down next to Kimber and took his hand in mine. "Saline, smart little fucker asked for it. He is fighting the drugs they gave him. When he heard me he asked for the saline. Knowing it would dilute the sedative and allow him to wake up."
"Is that wise?" his mom asked. I looked back at her. "Yeah, his reaction earlier was due to not finding his mates here with him. Something freaked him out, and them being doctors, knocked him out instead of trying to let him know we were coming." I felt his hand tighten around mine again.
"Eric," he groaned more than said. "I'm here little guy, what happened?" I saw him tense up again, working hard to get his eyes to open. "Bitch...hit me...green...station wagon...left for...dead....I live?" I smiled at him, "Yeah. You live babe. Your mates are all here." Torban led Iain to the other side of the bed. "Hi puppy," Torban said looking down at him.
Iain took Kimber's other hand. "Missed you, I was so worried. Eric was freaking out too." Kimber smiled a little. "I would have texted, forgot my phone." He looked passed me and saw his parents. "Hi mommy, daddy. Sorry about this." I moved to the side so his parents could get closer to him. "Don't worry baby, you didn't do anything wrong." his mom told him.
"How are you feeling son?" Jeff asked him. He tried to sit up and winced. "Like I was hit by a car, and then had a catheter stuck in me. Still cant feel a whole lot of anything. What do they have me on?" I smiled at him and grabbed his chart. "Little bit of morphine," I told him after reading over it. He tried to chuckle, failing at it and wincing. "Thanks doc, when do I get out of here? This place is dismal and they fixed me up."
The jackal from yesterday walked into the room. "I see you're awake, and have more saline than you should. Who authorized this," he said taking the chart from me. I pointed at Kimber, "He did. Patient has the right to flush drugs from his system." The doctor shook his head, "You're flushing the pain killers too. He also needs his rest."
"I don't need meds, or rest. I will take saline, and penicillin. Nothing else doctor unless I say so." Kimber told him. The jackal looked at him and lifted the blanket. Moving his gown to show him the incision on his belly. "Internal bleeding, bruised ribs, broken leg, fractured skull. The superficial wounds aside, you will want morphine for all that." Kimber sat up slowly, fighting through the pain.
"Stopped the bleeding, set the leg and skull. And the ribs will heal on their own. You did your job doctor. When can I get out of here?" Kimber's parents looked at him with concern. "You should stay," his dad told him. I agreed, for the time being he should remain here but on his terms. "You need pain killers puppy, no need to be hurting." his mom said.
He shook his head, "I'm fine. All I want is to be in our bed where I belong." The doctor shook his head. "The pain killers will be stopped, but I have to insist you remain here for a few more days before you're able to leave." I looked back at Kimber, it was a good compromise. He sighed and laid back down slowly. "Fine, but drug me once and I'm out of here."
"Usually the older ones are like this," the doctor said. Torban and I chuckled at the comment. "He's our Kimber, doesn't like pain killers." Torban said. Iain looked at our mate, and whimpered softly. "He is very stubborn and set in his ways for a young person. Don't take it personally. He appreciates what you did for him."
Kimber nodded his head slowly, "Thanks doc. I was a mess, you saved me from death. Just let me deal with the living part in my own way." The doctor smiled at Kimber and walked out into the hallway. I followed him out, "He is smart. But stubborn. Best to admire him since thinking him a stupid kid wouldn't be accurate. The saline was his idea after all. So he could talk to us and feel normal."
"Being normal means living in pain for him, shock saved him initially. If he was even conscious after being hit. Which I doubt he was, the injuries alone would have knocked him out. He doesn't have shock to keep him from feeling pain at this point, regardless. I will stop giving him the drugs, but should he ask for them I will give him something for the pain. If he's as strong as you say, then I may come to respect that kid. He already pulled two miracles, surviving the crash and fighting the sedatives."
He turned to walk away and I followed again. "Doctor, we can keep walking while we talk. Look, I know what you are. Not sure why you hid it back there. If you ever want to talk about it, here's my number." I snagged a post it note as we walked by the nursing station and I wrote my number on it. "Call or text, not for a date or anything. Just to talk."
He took it from me and looked around nervously. "I will get in touch about treatments. Now I really must be getting along. Good day to you, mister." I smiled at him. "Johnson, Eric Johnson. Have a good day Doctor Fields." With that I walked back to Kimber's room with a smile on my face. Who needs straight friends, when you have gay ones who will stand beside you no matter what.
Kimber didn't rest any, he stayed up and told the Police what happened when the tiger finally came to question him. "We have a suspect in custody, if you can identify them then it's as good as done." Kimber looked at the Officer and closed his eyes. The hit was sudden, but I rolled up on the hood. Inside the cab was an elk, teenager, male. Or around our age, early twenties."
"That's the guy we picked up. He had a hard time explaining just where his cracked windshield came from. His parents were suspicious, thank you for your help. He could be charged for felony hit and run. Prosecutor has the ball now." I smiled at him, "Thank you Officer."
Justice would be served, my parents would see that there was no plea bargain. The guy who almost killed our mate would probably serve a hefty prison sentence. Kimber was quiet, relaxing in his bed. But he did seem happy, but I could see pain as well. The drugs were wearing off and I hoped for his sake he could fight all that pain.
Hope you enjoyed that, next chapter will be up sometime tomorrow hopefully. Please vote, watch if you want to see more from me, comment below if you have a friendly word or comment to give. And as always thanks for reading